Mechanical toy



May 18 1926.

J. MARCOUX MECHANICAL TOY Filed Sept. 4. 1925 INVENTOR JOHN MARcoux byTToRnEYs Patented May 18, 1926.

J OHN MARCOUX, OF SAPPERTON, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA.

MECHANICAL TOY.

Application filed September 4, 1925.

My invention relates to improvements in mechanical toys which has forits particular objects the providing of suitable exercise for a child,and the imparting of lifelike action to a model horse.

The invention consists essentially of a sulky harnessed to a horse, thelegs of the horse being actuated by one wheel upon which the horse iscarried and the vehicle driven by ratchet means actuated by the user, aswill be more fully described in the following specification, in whichFig. 1 is a general View of the invention part in section showing onewheel removed.

Fig. 2 is a plan view showing the hinging of the shoulders and head ofthe horse to its body.

In the drawings like characters of reference indicate correspondingparts in each figure.

The numeral 1 indicates generally a sulky having a pair of shafts 2 uponwhich a pair of springs 3 are mounted for the purpose of supporting thedrivers seat 4. The numeral 5 indicates a pair of brackets supportingthe shafts 2 from the axle 6. 7 indicates a pair of road wheels each ofwhich are freely mounted on the axle and are connected by sleeves 8 toratchet Wheels 9. 10 indicates a pair of rocking levers which areprovided with a pawl 11 having operative engagement with the ratchetwheels. The numeral 12 indicates a pair of cranks pivotally mount edupon the body of the horse, and 13 are connecting rods extending fromthe free ends of the cranks to the upper ends of the rocking levers 10.On each of these rods a pedal 14 is secured which is engaged by the feetof the child to actuate the rods to impart rotary movement to the roadwheels. Secured to the rear of the seat 4 is a pair of rigid brake arms15 having brake shoes 16 at their outer ends which are adapted to engagethe tires of the wheels 7 as the seat is tilted back upon the spring 3by the action of the child. The numeral 17 indicates generally a horse,having a. body 18, rear legs 19, front legs 20, a forepart 21 and a head22, the forepart of the body is housed into the body portion 18 and ismounted upon a steering column 23 shown in dotted line, which issuitably supported from the body portion 18, this forepart issemi-cylindrical in plan so as to permit of its being turned to one sideor the other without detracting from the general contour and appearanceSerial No. 54,516.

of the horse. Extending downwards from the steering column 23 1s a pairof forks 24:, between which a steering wheel 25 is mounted, secured tothe axle of the steering wheel on one side thereof, is a crank 26 shownin dotted line in Figure 1, secured to the axle on the opposite side ofthe wheel is a disc 27 having ratchet notches 28 disposed 90 de greesapart. Freely mounted on the axle adjacent the disc 27 is a crank 29having a spring pressed pawl 30 which is adapted to engage any of theratchet notches 28 of the disc 27. .he pawl 30 is'so tensioned that byimposing a minor resistance to the rotation of the crank 29 the pawlwill disengage from one notch of the disc and will engage with one ofthe other notches, so that the cranks may be set diametrically oppositeto each other as shown in Figure 1, or at right angles to each other,the front legs 20 are jointed at the knees as at 31 and at the fetlocksas at 32, the hoofs of the front legs being separately connected to thefree ends of the cranks 26 and 29 so that as the wheel 25 rotates,action is imparted to every joint of the forelegs in a similar manner tothe natural action of a horse, the rear legs 19 are pivotally connectedto the body and are jointed also at the fetlocks as at 33, so that theboots are free to swing and come into contact with the ground in aperfectly natural manner. The body of the horse is pivotally connectedas at 34 to the shafts 2 and is supported from the axle by a bifurcatedspring plate 35 so that the body 18 is per mitted a certain limitedmovement in a vertical direction to permit of satisfactory contact beingestablished between the boots of the rear legs 19 and the ground, thusagain simulating the natural action of a horse. The numeral 36 indicatesa tail which is engaged by a crupper 37 secured to a check rein 38extending to the horses head 22. The head 22 is hingedly connected tothe breast of the forepart 21 as at 39 and is provided with a springportion 40 housed in the forepart for the purpose of pressing the headforward to the extent permitted by the check rein 38. The numeral 41indicates a pair of reins connected to the bit 42 and extending througha pair of loops 43 on the shoulders, which are disposed at the rear ofthe fulcrum of the head 22, so that as tension is applied to the reinsthe horses head is drawn back against the spring 10 and as such tensionis relieved the head is thrust forward, themhy and the tightening of thecheck rein 38 causes the tail to he slightly raised.

The numeral 4 indicates a pair of rods pivotally connected at theirforward ends to the upper part of the front legs .and at their oppositeends to the upper partof the hind legs, so that as action is impartedto'the front legs 20 simultaneous action is imparted to the rear legs19.

lVhi'le I have shown both right legs connected together by one rod isand both left legs by the other rod, I may prefer to cross the rods sothat the ri 'ht front and lei; hind leg are connected o one rod and theleft front leg and right hind leg :are connected by the other rod, thusimparting a different action to the legs from that resulting from theprei'ent rod arr ngenieni'.

l'Vh-at I claim my invention is:

1. A mechanical toy comprising a horse mounted upon :a steering Wheeland a sulliy mounted upon road Wheels, means for in:- purting rotationto the Wheels of the sullzy, shafts to the sullzy between which thehorses body is pivotelly mounted intermediate its length and a resilientsupportfor the rear portion of the horse.

:2. A inechanical toy coinorising a horse mounted upon a steering Wheeland a sulky inounted upon road wheels said horse having front legsjointed at the knees and fetlocks, 'cranlrs carried by the steeringwheel having operative connection to the lower jointed member of saidfront legs whereby natural action is imparted to the legs as the wheelis rotated.

A mechanical toy comprising a horse mounted upon a steering'ivheeland asulky mounted upon road WllGBlS, said steering Wheel having an axle anda pair of cranks operably connected to the lower jointed member of thefront legs, and means for disposing the cranks in varying positions toeach other.

4. A mechanical toy comprising n horse mounted upon a steering Wheel anda sulliy mounted upon road Wheels, said steering wheel having an axleand a pair of cranks operahlyconnected to the lower jointed incinher ofti e front legs, one of said cranks bcine secured to the axle and theother cranK being freely niounted thereupon. and means for-establishinga driving connection between the Wheel and the said second named 'erentpositions radially ot the upon a steerding from the he? t l. the steez'niIlPPGd. and means as tension is o i A; mechanical my coinpris'n and rhorse, said horse having its ,cpart {ringing-1y COIlZlQCiCil to thebody,

y being inounted upon a steerr ns extending "from the head oi? horsewhereby the steering wheel is u'ned, and means as tension is applied tono reins for raising the horses head end depressing; the horses tail.

Ii. inechanigxl toy comprising a horse mounted upon a steering Wheel enda sell; having an iiXlG and a pair of road Wheels. said Wheels heingfreely mounted upon I a:---tle a ratchet Wheel connected to each r wheeland pedal actuated means for lllur 'pendently engagingeach ratchet Wheelto impart rotation to the road Wheels.

Dated Vancouver, 3. G, this 27th day of August, 1925.

JOHN MARGOUX

